A community blog celebrating Victoria's booming tech sector
Our Tectorian of the Week is an entire force! The following will be exhibiting in Discover Tectoria‘s Video Game Lounge at Crystal Garden on February 19th, 11am to 6pm.
PLUS, the following partners: School District 61, Loading Ready Run, Camosun Graphic Novel Program, IGDA, UVIC Game Dev Club, Agog Labs
Check out the video below for a glimpse into the excitement these companies will bring to this event!
Discover Tectoria 2013 from VIATeC on Vimeo.
Our Tectorian of the Week is: Net² Victoria!
Net² Victoria helps nonprofits use technology to run their organizations and tell their stories. The group puts on seminars on a monthly basis with the venue space sponsored by Fort Tectoria.
Some of their most recent topics included “Social Media Surgery: Hands on advice & help” and “Collaborate Effectively and Develop Your Work Flow”.
Their events are becoming more and more popular as the content, speakers and format are spot on.
The next event is this Monday, January 11th at Fort Tectoria from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and the topic is “Resolving the Design & Content Challenge: Automated and Curated Newsletters”
Suggested donation is $5 and you can RSVP here. We hope to see you there!
SCHEDULE:
5:30-6:00: Doors open, schmoozing, coffee, and snacks
6:00-6:05: NetSquared welcome and program updates
6:05-7:00: Presentation by Jonathan Stoppi and Q&A
7:00-7:05: Net2Vic Needs Parade
7:05-7:30: Mingling, talking about next steps
Our Tectorian of the Week is: Carmanah Technologies!
Carmanah Technologies won first place in both categories of the 2015 VIATEC Food Bank Challenge: Greatest Overall Contributor and Greatest Per-Employee Contributor (supporting the Mustard Seed). Having received second place by just $300 during the last challenge, they were determined to come in on top!
2015 Winners
Greatest Overall Contributor
Greatest Per Employee Contributor:
This Tectorian of the Week’s recognition is approximately 2,808 weeks overdue. Ian Barrodale has been a professor, successfully started and grown his own business, inspired many future Tectorians, and sees no end to loving his work, or this city.
Beginning in academia…
Ian has been involved with the University of Victoria (UVic) since the beginning. “I graduated in the UK with a B.Sc. in Mathematics in 1960, and immigrated to Canada in 1961 to begin work at Victoria College as an Instructor in Mathematics. The University of Victoria was established in July 1963, so I took leave for a year at UBC where I first began programming in order to complete my thesis for a M.A. in Mathematics. This extra degree was still not sufficient to maintain my position at UVic, so I took leave again and enrolled at the University of Liverpool, where I graduated with a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1967. I have been a faculty member (of some type) continuously since 1961; my current appointment as an (unpaid) Adjunct Professor expires in 2017 – which will then be 56 years in total.”
Venturing into business…
Fuelled by an effortless and enduring interest in mathematics and computing, and the excitement of interacting with almost every student, Ian has successfully earned a living by pursuing his interests. When he began feeling that he lacked relevant “real-world” experience (having been in academia since high school), Ian set out to rectify this situation by forming a consulting company in 1978 with his wife Sheila. “This entity slowly blossomed, and eventually I was faced with the significant challenge of choosing between full-time work in our company or continuing on full-time at UVic. The Computer Science department came into being in 1980 (I was the founding Chair) and I was then able to work there half-time for two years, quarter time for two years, and finally I went off salary at UVic in 1984; by this time our company had a dozen staff. So, ironically, my decision to acquire real-world experience in order to enhance my effectiveness as a professor eventually led to leaving my employment at UVic (albeit remaining as an Adjunct Professor).”
His academic and real-world experiences have made Ian and his company Barrodale Computing Services known world experts in numerical analysis. “Barrodale Computing Services has completed more than 450 projects for many different customers and application areas; almost all these projects required novel software development. The ready availability of bright and well educated personnel from UVic as staff members was crucial to the success of our company. We started primarily as a defence contractor involved with submarine and naval mine detection (during the Cold War), ventured into applications in hydrography, forestry, seismic processing, astronomy, and materials science, and eventually into geospatial database applications involving BC watershed mapping, fast delivery of mission-critical customized weather forecasts around the world, timber supply modelling including the effects of mountain pine beetle infestation, and development of an integrated digital electoral atlas used in managing BC provincial elections.”
Victoria keeps getting better…
Ian’s appreciation for the lifestyle Victoria can offer has increased year by year, and surely as he is reflecting on some of his past successes or obstacles overcome (be it while golfing, sampling local craft beer or exercising his new power washer), no achievement must make him prouder than the fact that he survived teaching a young, loud, rebellious and bratty Rob Bennett of VIATEC ;).
His journey has woven through academia, business, and even involved taming the most unruly student in UVic history – and throughout it all Victoria remained the primary backdrop. “When I arrived here in 1961 Victoria had very few restaurants, pubs, bookstores, or shopping centres, but it did have good weather and golf courses … Back then UVic was expanding rapidly (it experienced a few growing pains too), and professional collaboration with others usually involved travel on and off Vancouver Island. The internet, email and cheap telephone communication has now largely eliminated Victoria’s former isolation, so professionals and many types of businesses (particularly software companies) can thrive here as never before. Why would anyone who enjoys their work want to completely retire with all that Victoria now offers?”
Ian’s contributions to Tectoria have spanned decades and look set to continue, which makes him a true Tectorian, and our Tectorian of the Week.
LlamaZOO Interactive has had one hell of a year and although the year is coming to an end, they’ve snuck in a few more achievements…
Just last week they released their EasyAnatomy BETA to veterinary students around the world, signed multiple schools to the Design Partner Program, and closed a substantial private equity financing round!
In 2015 they also:
They’re absolutely ecstatic by the amount of support they’re receiving both locally, and from schools and students abroad.
2016 looks very promising for LlamaZOO!
MediaCore has been acquired by Workday!
Big news for the MediaCore team – who have achieved great things and surpassed many challenges in the 5 years since the company was founded, and also fantastic news for Tectoria – as MediaCore plan to continue to grow their team right here in Victoria!
MediaCore
MediaCore offers a powerful video platform that enables educational institutions to easily capture, manage and share educational content and drive real learning results. The company was started in 2011 by founders Stuart Bowness, Nate Wright, Anthony Theocharis and Damien C. Tanner, who all shared an idea of transforming the way people teach and learn with video.
MediaCore’s journey has involved over 100 institutions and companies adopting their platform, being named “Employer of the Year” at the 2015 VIATEC Technology Awards and now joining forces with Workday. Additional highlights include raising a large round of finances in 2014, volunteering many team members to help with the successful creation of Ladies Learning Code in Victoria, and dancing to dubstep at a Hong Kong night club.
What’s Next?
Joining Workday opens up a realm of new possibilities for MediaCore, and one of their first new ventures may involve using their video platform to enhance the world of workplace training. The team has big plans for the future – plans which involve them continuing to grow their amazing team in Victoria!
To learn more about this fantastic local success story – hear from MediaCore team themselves.
You can also read a personal account from Founder/CEO Stuart Bowness HERE, or get more of a sneak peak at what MediaCore might be up to next: HERE & HERE.
Congratulations MediaCore, keep helping to drive Tectoria forward!
You won’t believe what the panelists called Ben Kerr during Experience Tectoria’s Showcase Showdown!
Ben Kerr is a Victoria native, mountain biker, foodie, father, CEO and Lead Analyst for Foundry Spatial, and our Tectorian of the Week!
There can be no arguing that Ben is not a true Tectorian. He was born and raised here, is a UVic geography grad, gets involved in local organizations with his two young daughters, is growing a local tech company doing very cool things, and says “I have never had a reason to leave and plan for it to stay that way! Victoria has such a beautiful natural setting and it is really beginning to emerge culturally and business-wise. I feel like Victoria is starting to build an amazingly unique new identity which is up there with the best places in the world!”
Foundry Spatial provides environmental analytics SAAS tools, with a primary focus on water. They offer customers complete, streamlined environmental and watershed information – meaning they can answer questions that directly impact the viability and sustainability of both a business, and its surrounding environment.
Ben started the company out as a one man environmental consultancy, or as he recalls, “me in my garage with a bunch of spiders.” Over the last 6 years Foundry Spatial has grown steadily, and now they’re rolling out a national service at the end of the year, that will provide a network of waterway understanding all across Canada!
Why would someone need to know how much water is in a river?
The Showcase Showdown panel asked Ben the same thing during Experience Tectoria. His answer really helped to win over everyone in the room, because of the information he provided, and the affable manner in which he responded.
If you asked Ben again he would say “people need water to drink and for day to day life. Fish and all kinds of other animals depend on rivers for their livelihoods. Farmers use the water from rivers to grow the food we eat. Industries need water too to keep our economy going, things like hydro and energy production, pulp and paper, and oil and gas. With demand growing from all these sectors and the challenges we’re facing in a changing climate, technology can help us find balance. It’s everyone that cares about water!”
Ben and Foundry Spatial participated in both the Demo Camp and Showcase Showdown during Experience Tectoria. In the Showcase Showdown he reached the final pairing, and the panel called him “the hands-down friendliest contestant!”
What’s next for Foundry Spatial?
They have their sights set on expansion across the rest of North America in the next three years. Ben asserts that “we’ll continue to prioritize the areas of greatest need, where demand and shortages are causing conflict.”
From water, to gravel (and the end of this article)
Ben started his career in gravel exploration. It may not be the most widely appealing topic, but Ben loves it, so one of the guys in his office offered to add some flair to that story for him…
Born at age 7, Ben knew that one day, he would grow up to stare at rocks in a serious way. One day, he found the best gravel he had ever seen, but his bucket was broken.
His desire for gravel persists, driven by the one that got away.
The one gravel.
The end.
If your interest is piqued – click here to learn more about Foundry Spatial
Our Tectorian’s of the Week are: All 11 of the VIATEC Board candidates! They pushed aside any nerves and got on stage at yesterday’s AGM at Fort Tectoria to tell everyone who they are and why they should be on one of the best boards around.
It was a fantastic turnout and during the AGM, VIATEC also officially changed its name from “Victoria Advanced Technology Council” to “Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council.” Everyone is very excited for the next year and what growth it will bring. If you didn’t make it out to the AGM, below are the candidates’ bios. To see the final elected 2015-16 board, click here.
Jim Balcom (Elected)
Senior VP Operations, Redlen Technologies
Jim’s career has been spent working in the Tech sector in Silicon Valley, Seattle and Vancouver. Most recently, Jim relocated to the Victoria area to take a position as SVP Operations at the semiconductor developer and manufacturer, Redlen Technologies. Jim would like to contribute where he can to the continued growth of the Tech sector here on Vancouver Island. Jim has worked in a number of senior and executive management roles over the past 30 years including manufacturing, engineering, sales, venture capital, COO and CEO, and has developed and launched disruptive products and technologies in medical devices, electronics manufacturing and alternative energy. Jim has a Systems Engineering degree from Waterloo and an MBA from Harvard. Jim has been fortunate to experience both successes and failures in the Tech sector, and has learned a lot along the way from both. Jim has helped raise ~$75m in financing for numerous companies from various public and private sources including an IPO, follow-on financings, angel investors, VCs, and government programs. Jim has been a board member, angel investor, and mentor to a number of companies over the years, and is keen to share these experiences and give back to the Tech community.
Robert Cooper (Elected)
President, PlusROI Online Marketing Inc.
I’ve worked in software and tech marketing internationally since 2001 for companies ranging from small start-ups right through to large organizations. I’ve been running my own small web marketing agency (PlusROI Online Marketing) since 2007 and have significant insight as to the challenges (and opportunities) faced by our local tech firms who want to grow internationally.
I’m a VIATEC member, board member, tenant at Fort Tectoria, booster for Accelerate Tectoria, member of 3 VIATEC Round Tables, and speaker to numerous VIATEC groups.
I’ve worked with a number of “visionary” leaders and while I don’t consider myself to be in that group, I am a very practical and effective strategist and have a unique ability to identify the small steps en route to the bigger goal.
I’m hugely passionate about the City of Victoria and a big fan of VIATEC and the organization’s major successes in the last 10 or so years. I’ve had the opportunity to closely watch as the industry has flourished in the city. I feel very grateful for VIATEC’s efforts and am excited to help out however I can on the board.
Robert Dubicki
Manager, Online Marketing, Government of British Columbia
Back in 1983 when I told my mom that I was planning to leave my secure job in finance at General Electric to work as an Account Manager at a software company, she became very perplexed and asked: “Why on earth would you want to work selling underwear at Fruit-of-the-loom”? What people today refer to as dinosaurs were called mainframes back then and there were probably no more than 100 software companies in the entire world.
I say this not to age myself, but to provide context. Thirty years from now, when the future Board at VIATEC and its members look back at 2016, what will they say about the leadership of the technology sector in Victoria? What bold moves and decisions were made to help cement Victoria as a viable technology hub for future generations?
I’ve worked in small, medium and large technology companies, based here and elsewhere, mostly in sales and marketing management roles. Start-ups, enterprise mergers, dot com boom and bust: been there and done that, and this experience and perspective (hopefully) will help in charting the waters moving forward. This year, I made a significant career change by taking a position in government, with Trade and Invest BC, where I help promote B.C. businesses to the world and to attract investment to the province. As a Board member, I would strive to make a difference by helping ensure VIATEC continues to be viable and useful entity for years to come.
Marc Foucher
Sales Associate, Colliers International
Marc works at Colliers International in Victoria as a Commercial Real Estate Advisor. Leading their Tech Practice Group, his primary focus is working with tech companies, exposing them to the funky, heritage-style office spaces that Victoria has to offer. A successful relationship involves finding a company a space that meets their budget, is reflective of their culture and brand, and aligns with their growth strategies. Marc works to fully understand the relationship between a tech company’s culture and business plan, and how that relates to real estate.
After graduating from the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria in 2013, Marc joined the Colliers team as the Research Analyst for all of Vancouver Island. He was responsible for producing all market update reports, which gave him an unparalleled understanding of the commercial real estate market in Greater Victoria and on the island.
Marc’s objective in joining the VIATEC Board of Directors is simple: to help members grow their business by offering advice when looking for a new location. Landlords and tech companies (especially those in their early stages) are often miles apart on negotiating a lease, and it is at this point that Marc believes his involvement with VIATEC and its Board would be beneficial to its members. In Marc’s opinion, this is the most important thing that VIATEC does as an organization – bringing together individuals with different skill sets and fostering a spirit of support and guidance to help each other grow.
Ho Kim (Elected)
President & CEO, Camacc Systems
Ho Kim moved to Victoria when he was 1.5 years old and at the tender age of 48, he cannot think of a better place to operate his business from. Ho is one of the founding members, director, president and CEO of Camacc Systems Inc., a video surveillance sales and installation company. Since their inception in 1998 in Central Saanich, they have branched out across Canada and have amassed a fantastic resume of national clients such as Best Buy, Petro Canada, Shell and London Drugs to name a few. Satellite offices include software engineering labs in Victoria and China selling their Vigil Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Software globally in a license form, a distribution sales office in Westminster, an in Colorado selling their turnkey Digital Video Recorders to a dealer market across the United States. Ho Kim was a 2014 Pacific Region Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Bobbi Leach (Elected)
CEO, RevenueWire
I’m an entrepreneurial leader with more than 25 years of experience, primarily in the high tech sector. I have a proven track record defining strategies for successful, sustainable growth for start-up ventures and existing enterprises alike. As the CEO for RevenueWire, I’ve established the company as the industry leader in our vertical, successfully launching new services and driving double-digit growth in revenue and profitability year-over-year. I’m also the CEO of an early-stage venture called FuturePay, which I’ve led from ideation to million-dollar revenue traction.
The Victoria tech community has been a wealth of support for me, especially the many VIATEC programs from networking and talent attraction to round tables and mentorships. By volunteering for the VIATEC Board, this is my opportunity to join in and give back to this vital part of our community. As a Board member, I’ll bring my strategy development expertise and broad management skills along with my enthusiasm to help VIATEC continue to grow and provide exceptional value to its members.
Alex Mendelev (Elected)
CEO, TinyMob Games
Alex Mendelev is a co-founder and CEO of TinyMob Games Inc. Mr. Mendelev has been at the forefront of the game industry for well over a decade, holding key executive positions in technology, game production, product management and business development. Most recently, he served as the General Manager and Head of Studios, Canada at GameHouse, where he led a studio of over 50 people in the development of industry leading Free-to-Play games for mobile phones and Facebook. Prior to joining GameHouse, he served as Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Backstage Games, a Victoria-based game company that pioneered the Free-to-Play business model in Canada and was the first game developer in the country to create free to play games for Facebook. At Backstage, he was instrumental in tripling the Backstage’s revenue in less than a year and structuring an acquisition with GameHouse, one of the largest casual game portals in the world. He previously held technical and management roles building and distributing games through mobile devices. Alex holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from McGill University.
Christina Seargeant (Elected)
Director of People Operations, MediaCore
Christina is passionate about start-up communities and helping young companies grow. From planning events and bolstering culture, to managing international recruitment and growth – Christina leads all aspects of people operations for MediaCore, an ed-tech start-up based in Victoria, BC. Christina came to MediaCore with a deeply rooted background in technology, having formerly worked for amazon.com and the University of Victoria’s Computing Systems department. In her spare time, she can be found playing video games, leading the Victoria chapter of Ladies Learning Code, or frequenting one of the many acclaimed restaurants Victoria has to offer.
Anthony Sukow
EVP Product Design & Innovation, Co-Founder, Terapeak
NOTE: This was submitted Andrew, CMO of Terapeak, as a nomination of Anthony with his support.
Big Data — for the past 11 years I have worked developing Business Intelligence tools for e-commerce merchants. As the Master Licensing Partner of eBay e-commerce Data, Terapeak has created systems to manage over 33.8+ Billion transactions, representing over $686 Billion worth of online spending from 150 Million consumers around the world. This single e-commerce data set is one of the largest unstructured data sets, and also one of the most valuable — with respect to real time consumer insights. Terapeak was building “Big Data” before “Big Data” was a catch phrase.
Currently Terapeak serves over 28,000 of the worlds largest e-commerce merchants, and has developed SaaS solutions for over 2,600,000 merchants worldwide.
Carli van Maurik
Partner, Whiteboard Law
Carli van Maurik is a senior business solutions lawyer and joined Whiteboard Law in 2014. Carli was formerly with a highly regarded business law firm located in Victoria, B.C., where she led their Corporate and Commercial Department.
An entrepreneur herself, she recently co-founded an innovative online start-up company.
Ms. Van Maurik is actively involved in VIATEC and is a booster with VIATEC’s accelerator program where she mentors start-up businesses and appears as a frequent guest speaker.
Carli has extensive experience in a wide range of business law matters including assisting her clients with (technology) start-up formation, debt and equity financing, sophisticated corporate/capital structuring, corporate governance, maintenance and compliance, as well as shareholders agreements. In addition, she regularly assists clients with complex corporate re-organizations and helps by avoiding and solving stakeholder disputes. Other areas of practice include negotiating and preparing share/asset purchase, franchise and licensing agreements. She has extensive experience in structuring corporate entities, societies and not-for-profits, cost-sharing arrangements, joint ventures and partnerships.
Carli has volunteered her time with the Access ProBono Society of British Columbia providing legal advice to low income individuals. She was sought out to make a guest appearance on a Victoria television show profiling the local business community. Carli is also an Advisor with ICE which is a resource for helping budding entrepreneurs research and potentially launch a new venture. It is also a resource for very early ventures that have yet to raise outside money (beyond early “friends and family”) and which are now reaching a stage where they need to polish a business plan and become “Investor-Ready”. ICE is an initiative of the Gustavson School of Business on behalf of the University of Victoria.
Carli is a graduate of St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia and attended law school at Dalhouse University where she received the Award of Academic Excellence and was on the Dean’s List for 2002 – 2003. Carli was called to both the British Columbia Bar and the Nova Scotia Bar in 2007.
Brad Williams (Elected)
CFO/COO, Sockeye Technologies Inc.
Brad works as a consultant for various technology companies. Over the last 15 years Brad has held, CEO, President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer roles for companies. Brad has assisted in raising over $30 million in funds, lead the sales and diligence processes for several exits (including a $370M exit), lead and completed 3 CPC (capital pool companies) processes, completed a CCAA restructuring and more. Brad is a passionate entrepreneur who has started his own start up (raising 750K in venture financing), attended the C100’s 48 hours in the valley and a keen following of all things lean startup related.
Brad has been mentoring start-up and early stage companies for many years as an accredited lead mentor in the BCIC AceTech VIATeC MVP Program and actively advising a number of companies at any given time.
Brad is a Board member and the head of the finance/audit committees with VIATEC and Power to Be Adventure Therapy.
They’re zany and creative, they jump into the cold waters of the Gorge and organize arm wrestling competitions to raise money for the VIATEC Food Bank Challenge, and they just happen to be one of Victoria’s fastest growing tech start-ups.
Red Brick Media focuses on innovative software development and advertising in the heart of downtown Victoria, and they have a blast doing it.
They are your one-stop-shop to simplify and scale. Their technology (web-based apps and downloadable programs), are built and managed in house with a mandate to eliminate clutter with cutting edge solutions. They bring intuitive products to users for a seamless browsing experience.
Red Brick Media worked with a Ph.D to create an advanced algorithm that determines the best advertising offers to show their users – processing millions of permutations in just a few seconds. They also built a geo-redirect, so their users can decide where they want specific offers to be sent. All of this means less wasted impressions and more time to relax.
Starting as a company of two in 2011, Red Brick Media now has over 36 employees in four different offices and is owned and operated by Victoria locals and UVic Alumni. They are constantly hiring and make an effort to adopt co-op students into their happy work-fam.
Red Brick Media’s arm wrestling competition fundraiser
They recently earned 2nd place in the VIATEC Food Bank Challenge for Greatest per Employee Contributor and they took home the “Freddy” robot trophy at last year’s VIATEC Technology Awards for Emerging Tech Company of the Year.
Red Brick Media has deep roots in Victoria. This was proved once again with the recent news of Co-Founder Tobyn Sowden investing in local tech company, Checkfront, along with 17 other investors, leaving Checkfront with a nice $1 Million in funding.
Red Brick Media has taken off and there are no signs of them slowing down. One thing’s for sure, they seem to always carve out time to give back to the community and work on building strong employee relationships that keep their business so solid.
If you come across this team at a future event, you’ve been warned NOT to challenge them at a Smirnoff Ice chugging contest… you’ll lose…
Our Tectorian of the Week is local video producer and filmmaker Dave Wallace. Together with Justus Lowry and the team at Innovate Image Works, Dave creates videos that really resonate, capturing the essence of whatever his subject happens to be.
Most recently, Dave and Justus, together with spoken-word poet and Victoria city councilor Jeremy Loveday, have created a fantastic, moving video about Victoria.
Something About Victoria racked up 5,000 views overnight as soon as it was posted on Vimeo:
The VIATeC team used the video as part of a mission to show off Victoria this past week at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Dave and Justus’ job was to represent everything we all love about Victoria – the lifestyle, the weather, the live music, the beer, the coffee culture and much more. This video did all that and then some.
It’s inspiring to see how they took a few bullet points and crafted this emotional story with Jeremy Loveday while marrying his words with the ideal imagery.
– Dan Gunn
As proud West Coasters, Dave and Justus just get Victoria, and seem to be able to effortlessly translate everything that make our island home so special into a compelling video that captures the heart.
“I have worked with Dave on a number of projects that highlight Victoria, VIATeC and the tech scene,” says VIATeC CEO Dan Gunn. “For over a year, Dave, Justus and I have been meeting sporadically to develop the notion of a video love-letter to the city and I am blown away by their execution.They absorbed everything I, and many others have said, over a few coffees and produced the perfect outcome. It’s inspiring to see how they took a few bullet points and crafted this emotional story with Jeremy Loveday while marrying his words with the ideal imagery.
Dave and Justus’ video is just one of the many treasures that can can be found on SomethingaboutVictoria.ca.
The new website provides a unique and striking update on Victoria’s image, promoting everything from the all of the jobs available here to everything Tectorians love to do in their downtime.
Whether it be attending music festivals to enjoying a beer (after grabbing a bite to eat) or exploring the outdoors, everything that makes Victoria so special to so many people is on this website, all with the aim of promoting our city to future Tectorians.
So please check out SomethingaboutVictoria.ca, and watch the video. And if you see Dave, Justus and Jeremy, let them know you saw it and how it affected you.
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